Pennsylvania Wood Cockroach
Appearance:
Adult Pennsylvania wood cockroach males measure about 7/8 to 1 1/8 inch long whereas, adult females are 1/2 to 3/4 inch long. They are chestnut brown with the pronotal shield (the back behind the head) and forewings edged in white. The male is fully winged and a good flier; whereas, the female’s wings are reduced, covering only about 2/3 of the abdomen, and functionless for flight. Nymphal instars are light reddish-brown to grayish-brown.
The egg capsule (ootheca) is yellowish-brown and about 1/2 inch long. Egg capsules are 2 to 3 times longer than wide and have the appearance of a slender, arched pouch or purse.
Habitat:
The female deposits and cements her egg capsules under the loose bark of dead trees, stumps, fallen logs, and in other protected places. On the average, the female will produce about 30 egg capsules, each containing about 32 eggs (range 32 to 36). Developmental time (egg to adult) is quite long, averaging about 318 days (range 280 to 766).
The Pennsylvania wood cockroach is an outdoor species, which can only rarely survive indoors. Outdoors they are usually found under the loose bark of dead trees, in treeholes, and in woodpiles. However, they have been found under cedar-shake shingles and siding, and in gutters.
Both sexes can be or are typically brought in with firewood. Males are good fliers and are attracted to light, so they often enter at night via cracks and crevices through which light penetrates to the outside. If not brought in, females must crawl in because they have functionless wings. This species rarely breeds or survives indoors. Inside, males are usually inactive during the day unless disturbed, but fly in the vicinity of lights at night.
Diet:
They feed on all kinds of food and decaying organic matter, but prefer to feed on starchy foods.
Solutions:
What you can do: Control is seldom required indoors because this species usually does not survive inside. Preventative measures is what is usually required. This consists of nailing flashing down tight, sealing exterior cracks and crevices with silicone caulk, making sure all windows have tight fitting screens in good repair, all doors have doorsweeps and self-closing screen doors which are tight fitting and in good repair, and all exterior vents or vent openings are screened with wire hardware cloth no larger than 1/8 inch mesh. Window screening must be kept in good repair. Changing white incandescent bulbs to yellow bulbs around entrance doors may help.
Professional Solutions:
A Quik-Kill service technician will apply an exterior barrier treatment beneath lower wood siding, eaves and soffits, along exterior molding, flashing, fascia and the roof line. Appropriate materials may be used indoors and in garages when warranted. In severe infestations, attics and/or crawlspaces may need to be treated.
A regular pest management service program may be required in cases where large populations of Pennsylvania wood roaches are present and where landscaping conditions and locality are conducive to their propagation.
